The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation is an independent, non-profit

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

established in 2008 and situated in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Stem Cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

science is a Canadian innovation through the discovery of stem cells by Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch. It is globally known as the leading organization for

stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

and support in the study of treatments and cures for

diseases A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...

such as

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

and

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

The Canadian Stem Cell Strategy

Their first strategy was created in 2013 to determine the concerns and actions required to develop an

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

that can advance

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

and clinics. The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation's goals are to invest a strategy for new treatments, sustainable healthcare, therapies and beneficial products. Their goals are beyond their capacity, such as "using cells to treat respiratory heart diseases, restore lost vision, create a source of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

-producing cells to treat

, repair damaged spinal cords, reverse the effect of MS,

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

and other autoimmune disorders, reduce the ravages of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

and reverse

tumour A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

formation in the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...

and other solid tissues." Their other goals are to bring together scientists, institutions, health charities, industry partners, regulators, funders and philanthropists in a universal vision in the developments of stem cell science research and have public and private sectors support in the funding for stem cell research in the long-term. There are many organizations involved such as the Stem Cell Network, Health Charities Coalition of Canada, Ontario Stem Cell Initiative,

Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization, and Cell CAN Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy Network. To follow updates regarding "The Canadian Stem Cell Strategy," visit the site: http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca/en/blog/categories/listings/strategy-updates

The Stem Cell Charter

The Stem Cell Charter is an appeal launched in September, regarding the support for

. It is an

interactive Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but mo ...

document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" or ...

that seeks concern for humanity with reference to stem cell science. It was created and written by, Bartha Maria Knoppers of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, with a team of stem cell scientists, patients, ethicists and laypeople. This document is accessible to many individuals around the world, it is not a document for scientists, government officials or physicians, but for all. The charter includes five principles such as, "responsible science, protection of citizens, intellectual freedom, transparency and integrity." The document's goal is to bring people together with the belief that stem cell science has the potential to conquer disease and advance medicine. Moreover, many significant scientists have endorsed the Charter, including Mick Bhatia, Tim Caulfield, John Dick,

Connie Eaves Connie Jean Eaves, CorrFRSE (née Constance Halperin; born May 22, 1944), is a Canadian biologist with significant contributions to cancer and stem cell research. Eaves is a professor generics of genetics at the University of British Columbia a ...

, Norman Iscove, Gordon Keller,

Derek van der Kooy Derek van der Kooy (born 1952) is Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Toronto. He received a master's degree in Psychology at the University of British Columbia and a Ph.D in Anatomy from Erasmus U ...

, Freda Miller, Andras Nagy, Janer Rossant, Michael Rudnicki, Guy Sauvageau, Jim Till and Sam Weiss. Over 3000 individuals have signed the charter, any individual can sign the charter by visiting the link: http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca/en/act/charter?view=default

References

Canadian Stem Cell Foundation(2013) ''Canadian Stem Cell Foundation'' http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca/en/ {{Authority control Biology education Health charities in Canada Organizations based in Ottawa Stem cells Organizations established in 2008 Medical and health organizations based in Ontario